Maputo — Four Mozambican prison guards in the central province of Tete tortured to death a prisoner who escaped but was later recaptured, according to a press release from the Ministry of Justice.

The 27 year old prisoner, Fausto Tembane, was serving a 14 month sentence for assault in the Macanga district prison.

He escaped from the jail on 9 February, but was re-arrested on the same day, near Macanga town. He offered no resistance to the arresting officers, but this did not stop the prison guards from beating him mercilessly, and shortly afterwards Tembane was dead.

The Ministry release said that the four guards who murdered Tembane have been detained and will face criminal and disciplinary proceedings.

Justice Minister Benvinda Levy had made it clear that she will not tolerate torture in the country’s prison. In the past, she sacked the director of the Maputo top security prison for allowing torture to take place inside its walls.